Page 97 of Finding Wonderland

After another kiss, Isla carried Brayden down the hall to his bedroom. The summer before kindergarten, they had let Ellie and Brayden pick their own rooms, and Ellie insisted she get first dibs since she was the oldest. Never one to argue with his sister, Brayden agreed, which meant he was still in the bedroom that had been their nursery for so many years. However, now it was painted dark blue and had decals of cars and dinosaurs on the walls.

Isla tenderly laid Brayden down in bed and tucked him in. She kissed his cheek, running her fingers through his hair to get it out of his face.

“I love you, Brayden.”

“Love you, Mom,” he mumbled as he snuggled up with his favorite dinosaur plushie and went to sleep.

Chapter 34

Vera

2014

Ellie had been excited all summer to play the lead in the community theater’s production of Annie. She’d been practicing for weeks, learning all her lines and routines. Vera was beyond proud of her and had teared up at every rehearsal she’d been to watching their little girl thrive. It was like watching a mini-Isla on stage.

There was no doubt Ellie received her talent from Isla. Even at eight, she could hold her own with the older actors. Everyone had been so impressed by her that they were already talking about what a bright future she had in theater. Vera would encourage Ellie to pursue whatever dream she wanted.

Opening night of the play was in a few hours, so Isla and Vera had taken Ellie out for a special dinner to celebrate. She’d chosen a local steakhouse and was currently sitting across from them in the booth as she munched away on a mozzarella stick. They were rarely at dinner with just the three of them, so Vera savored their time alone with their daughter. Mason had taken Brayden and Everleigh out for pizza before meeting them at the show later, which was a treat for everyone.

“So, Ellie,” Vera pointed at the menu Ellie hadn’t bothered to look at since the mozzarella sticks arrived. “What did you decide for dinner? You can have anything you want.”

“I want a filet,” she stated flatly, firmly nodding her.

“A filet?”

“Yeah.” Another firm nod. “Mason said to ask for whatever I wanted tonight because you’d give it to me.”

Isla and Vera exchanged a bemused look as they tried not to laugh. Of course Mason would have told Ellie that. The two were both mischievous, but when they were together, it was even worse. They constantly kept them on their toes.

“She did, hmm?” Isla chuckled. “We’ll just send Mason the bill then, won’t we?”

“No worries.”

Ellie fished into her small pink purse and pulled out a credit card. She placed it on the table, sliding it over to Isla. Picking it up, Isla busted out laughing before showing it to Vera. It was Mason’s credit card.

“She told me if you said no to just put it on her tab,” Ellie shrugged. “Whatever that means.”

Oh, Mason.

Mason took the best care of the entire family. She constantly went out of her way to make them feel loved and appreciated. Especially the kids. There was barely a game or recital or play date she missed. Mason also made it a point to spend time with each of them individually. One weekend, she’d take Brayden to a hockey game; the next, she’d take Ellie to New York for a Broadway play. And there were rarely a few days that went by that Mason wasn’t at their house playing with Everleigh.

All her siblings adored her, and Vera was beyond thankful. Vera said it all the time, but they truly had the best kids.

“How about I give this back to Mason, and you just order whatever you want, okay?” Isla took the card and slid it into Vera’s purse, which was sitting between them on the bench seat.

“Even mac and cheese?”

“Even Mac and cheese,” Vera matched her enthusiasm.

Ellie seemed to savor her alone time with them as they ate dinner and talked about the play. She wasn’t nervous; she assured them of that every few minutes. But Vera could tell Ellie was nervous—not that she’d ever show it. There was no doubt in Vera’s mind that Ellie knew every line and was more than ready to own the stage.

After dinner, the three headed for the theater. It was an older building near the college campus. The sign out front flashed with pictures of the cast, and Vera excitedly gasped when Ellie’s picture came up.

“Oh! Honey, we need your picture by the sign!”

Vera nearly jumped out of the Jeep before Isla parked it as she grabbed her purse and phone. Taking Ellie’s hand, they walked over to the sign with Isla trailing closely behind them. She waited until Ellie’s picture reappeared before snapping way too many pictures of Ellie posing and acting goofy in front of it.

“I can’t believe my little baby is the star,” Vera gushed as she pulled Ellie into a tight hug. “I’m so proud of you, Ellie.”

---